The popular Weymouth Beer Festival opens at the Ocean Room in two weeks time and already two thirds of the tickets have been sold. Saturday lunchtime is sold out.
“We still have some tickets for Friday and Saturday evenings at most outlets, with Friday selling quickest,” says Dave Harris, Chairman of West Dorset branch of the Campaign for Real Ale [CAMRA.] “Customers should make sure of their tickets now for these sessions,” he continued, “Friday evening is looking likely to be full first, but we think all tickets will be sold before the festival starts.”
The CAMRA Weymouth autumn beer festival is on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 October- where 5040 pints of real ale from 70 different casks will be on sale, along with twelve ciders and perries. The venue is again Weymouth’s Ocean Room, much praised by festivalgoers in the three previous years- said by the organisers to be an essential part of the success of this annual event.
“CAMRA members from all over England will be in Weymouth for the festival,” says CAMRA spokesman Michel Hooper-Immins, “good news for local shops, hotels, restaurants and cafes as they and their families spend money in the town.”
Some 1400 tickets cover four sessions, 11am to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm on Friday and Saturday 3 & 4 October. Tickets cost £5 for Friday & Saturday evenings and £3 for Friday lunchtime. Saturday lunchtime is sold-out. They are being sold by West Dorset CAMRA online at www.camrawdorset.org.uk/Octoberfest.htm or fromThe Boot, The Globe & Charlbury Food & Wine in Weymouth and the Blue Raddle at Dorchester. Weymouth Pavilion box office [01305 783225] has a supply, as has CAMRA Chairman Dave Harris at 01305 772286. There will again be live music on Saturday evening.
West Dorset CAMRA’s October beer festival was held for eight years at Brewers Quay, but closure of the Hope Square attraction in early 2011 forced a move. Moving to the Ocean Room in 2011 meant more real ale drinkers can be accommodated and last year almost 1400 tickets were sold for the event, spread over two days.
CAMRA Bar Manager Rich Gabe has carefully picked 70 firkins of real ale, amounting to 5040 pints of beer. Over half will be from the Cotswolds and Forest of Dean- beers very rarely seen in Dorset. A representative range of styles and flavours- 21 are from Gloucestershire, six from Oxfordshire, four each from Worcestershire and Wiltshire, three from Monmouthshire and two each from Warwickshire and Herefordshire. In addition, there are 23 from Dorset and a few surprises yet to be confirmed!
Of 24 casks from Gloucestershire, the noted Uley brewery provides Old Spot and Pigs Ear, their two most distinctive beers. Old Spot is a full-bodied ruby ale, made with water from their own well, mashed with Maris Otter malt and boiled with Herefordshire hops.
Visitors to the Cotswolds will know the historic Donnington brewery near Stow-on-the-Wold and their excellent stone-built pubs. They send a cask of premium SBA Ale, a tasty mix of malt and fruit.
Ale Caesar IPA hails from the Corinium brewery in Cirencester, Slaughter Porter from Freeminer at Cinderford and Old Sodbury Dark Mild from Chipping Sodbury.
The Hook Norton brewery was recently featured on Channel Five television- the oldest independent in Oxfordshire, founded in 1849. Their iconic Hookey Bitter has rarely been tasted in Weymouth. Betjeman Wantage Bells is made at the Shoulder of Mutton pub in Wantage, a new strong bitter from Oxfordshire. Amber Kingstone Abbey Ale travels from across the Welsh frontier at Tintern, famous for the ruined abbey.
From nearer home, Blandford brewer Hall & Woodhouse will be running their own minibar and showing off four of their portfolio- including Brewer’s Bee and Twilight Tawny. Palmers from Bridport celebrate the onset of autumn with Tally Ho! while the new Brewhouse & Kitchen plant at Dorchester contribute Mayor of Casterbridge Ale. The strongest brew at the festival comes from the Piddle Brewery at Piddlehinton, Black Hole at 8.5% ABV, nearly three times stronger than standard bitter. Brewed specially for the Weymouth Beer Festival, Black Hole is described as “a head-on collision between totally tropical fruits and black rum.”
The newest brewer in the county produces Cerne Abbas Ale and from Sunny Republic at Winterbourne Kingston comes Beach Blonde, straw-coloured ale. The products of microbreweries at Poole, Sixpenny Handley, Lyme Regis, Corfe Castle, Crossways, Gillingham, Studland and Thorncombe complete the 23 Dorset firkins. Around a dozen ciders and perries complete the choice.
Michel Hooper-Immins
